The qualitative approach and its research techniques

Qualitative research occupies a central place in the social sciences due to its capacity to understand the meanings, experiences, practices, and interactions that shape social life. Within this framework, the course offers an introduction to qualitative research, addressing its theoretical and epistemological foundations and promoting critical reflection on the researcher's role in the knowledge construction process and the ethical challenges involved in research with subjects and social groups. In this way, the course aims to equip students with conceptual and methodological tools that will enable them to design, develop, and evaluate qualitative research in various fields of the social sciences.

General Objective:

That the students:

• They become familiar with the nature of qualitative research, its features, and develop skills for the design, selection, collection/production, and analysis of qualitative data produced in face-to-face and virtual environments. 
• They would transfer the acquired skills to professional and work contexts.

Specific objectives:

That the students:

• Learn about the specifics of qualitative research, its origins and evolution.
• Recognize one of the specific methodological approaches of the qualitative tradition: the biographical approach.
• Master the techniques of qualitative data production and analysis.
• Identify the main challenges that the expansion of digital culture poses to social research.
• Use qualitative methodological tools in specific research situations and problems, in a critical, creative, reflective, and ethically informed manner.

• Qualitative research in historical perspective
• The biographical approach
• Research design and sampling
• Techniques: individual and group interview
• Observation, ethnographic perspective
• Different qualitative analytical perspectives and their implications
• New methodological scenarios: e-research, artificial intelligence and knowledge production in social sciences
• Ethically informed qualitative research

• GUBER, R. (2011), Ethnography. Method, field and reflexivity. Siglo Veintiuno. (Chapter 1).
• VALLES, M. (1997). Qualitative techniques of social research. Methodological reflection and professional practice. Synthesis (Chapter 1).
• BERTAUX, D. (2005). The life stories. Ethnosociological perspective. Bellaterra.
• MUÑIZ TERRA, L. (2012). “Careers and work trajectories: a critical review of the main theoretical-methodological approaches for their study”, in Latin American Journal of Social Science Methodology. 2 (1).
• FLICK, U (2015) The design of qualitative research. Morata (Chapters 3 and 4)
• VERD, JM and LOZARES, C. (2016) Introduction to qualitative research. Phases, methods and techniques. Synthesis. (Chapter 6).
• FREIDIN, B. (2016). “Reviewing the use of focus groups in social research”, in Latin American Journal of Social Science Methodology, 6(1). 
• GUBER, R. (2010). “Participant observation as a system of contextualization of ethnographic methods: Esther Hermitte's field research in the Highlands of Chiapas, 1960-1961”, in Latin American Journal of Social Science Methodology, 1(2). 
• MARRADI, A., ARCHENTI, N. and PIOVANI, JI (2018). Manual of Social Science Methodology. Buenos Aires. Siglo XXI (Chapter 10).
• COHEN, N. and GOMEZ ROJAS, G. (2019). Research Methodology: What for? Theseus / CLACSO (Chapter 7).   
• VERD, JM and LOZARES, C. (2016) Introduction to qualitative research. Phases, methods and techniques. Summary. (Chapter 11)
• CÁRDENAS, J. (2023). “Artificial intelligence, research and peer review: future scenarios and action strategies” in Spanish Journal of Sociology, 32(4), a184.  
• RAUSKY, ME and SANTOS, JA (2021). “Empirical research, the qualitative approach and E-Research. PRACS”, en  Electronic Journal of Humanities of the UNIFAP Social Sciences Course 
• NAROTZKY, S (2004) “A necessary history: ethics, politics and responsibility in anthropological practice”, in Relaciones. Estudios de historia y sociedad. 25 (98). 

The basic requirements for taking a seminar are:

• Availability of at least 4 hours per week to dedicate to the seminar course.
• Internet access.
• Reasonable handling of communication and computer tools.
• Language proficiency in the language in which the course will be taught. The official languages ​​are Spanish and Portuguese.

The seminars last 10 weeks, plus the completion of a final project. A total of 90 hours of dedication will be credited.

A course consists of ten classes, each accompanied by required reading bibliography, supplementary bibliography, discussion forums and training activities proposed by the teaching team, partial deliveries and a final project.
The course is online and asynchronous. Some instructors may propose synchronous activities. In those cases, the time and date will be agreed upon beforehand between the instructors and the students to ensure everyone's participation. Attendance at synchronous sessions is not mandatory.
To pass the seminar, you must participate in at least 80% of the discussion forums and activities proposed by the teachers, have completed the scheduled partial deliveries, and pass the final work.

The possible payment methods are by credit card or bank transfer.